Disneyland started with the dream of creating a place where families could come together and have fun. Since opening day July 17, 1955, a lot has changed at Disneyland and now Walt’s concept of safe and clean family fun can be found around the world. Yet no matter how big Disney parks and resorts have grown, one thing has remained the same: it’s all about family.
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| Tom Staggs and me inside Blue Sky Cellar. |
I have been working with the Disneyland Resort and a number of other business units in the Walt Disney Company to provide coverage for my website, blog, book, and videos for more than three years now. The company has not only provided me with all of the information I have needed to bring the latest information to Disney-loving families, but they have always treated me with an incredible amount of dignity and respect—showing that both the Disneyland Resort and the other business units I have worked with (Disney Animation Studios, Disney Junior, and Disney Interactive to name just a few) see the value in working with media outlets who have a direct link with families.
As you already know, two weeks ago I attended the Disneyland Soundsational Summer media event, and once again, Disney pulled out all the stops to include family-oriented media (bloggers) in with “traditional media.” While many may be surprised that a company as big as Disney is interested in working with nontraditional family media, it is clear that they see the value in communicating directly with their consumers—and the emphasis on working with us comes from the top.
Tom Staggs, Chairman of Disney Parks and Resort, asked to meet with mom bloggers who were covering the Soundsational Summer event. Six other bloggers and I had the distinct opportunity to meet with Staggs who provided us with a candid opportunity to discuss the future of Disney Parks and Resorts and his role as chairman.
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| Suz talking with Tom Staggs on the blue carpet at the World of Color premiere. |
This is not the first time Staggs has interacted with mom bloggers; he made a point to reach out to us at the World of Color premiere event last year as he walked the blue carpet. And while the interaction was brief, my partner-in-crime, Suz Broughton suggested that he post on the Disney Parks blog and that’s just what he did…a day later.
Our meeting with Staggs last about 15 mintues. We talked about the future of the Disneyland Resort, the planning and building of Ariel’s Under Sea Adventure, and the other great things going on at the Disneyland Resort this summer. The Disneyland Resort, and namely Disney California Adventure Park, has been undergoing a huge amount of changes over the last few years, with those changes continuing through next summer when the world gets to experience the new Buena Vista Street and Cars Land.
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| Bruce Vaughn, me, and Bob Weis inside Blue Sky Cellar. |
As we dove into our discussion on the changes going on at the Disneyland Resort, Staggs was quick to credit and include Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Imagineering and Bob Weis, Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering into our discussion. Together, the three talked about the intricate factors that have to come together to create a new guest experience—from research to technology and beyond.
“What we try to do (when planning new attractions) is go through a process to think about our parks holistically and what do they have that’s really wowing to guests and what we can do better,” Staggs said. “And I want to pay tribute to Bob because we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what we could do to reimagine Disney California Adventure into a park that is really Disney through and through…that would really wow our guests…that has that Disney DNA. Bob led the team that cracked the code.”
It’s not an easy feat opening a land…or even a new attraction for that matter. Years, and in some cases decades, go by in the planning and technology development for an attraction, especially in the case of Ariel’s Under Sea Adventure.
When Staggs was asked his favorite part of developing a new attraction at the parks, I was expecting he would tell us that he most enjoyed seeing the finished product. Instead, his answer pleasantly surprise me and really showed his commitment to making Disney families happy. “The part when you get to open the ride and see people enjoy it…That’s the best moment.”
In spite of his high-ranking position with Disney, Staggs has an easy demeanor making him both down-to-earth and approachable. As a father, he talked about his two boys and watching movies like Monster Inc. and Cars 75 to 100 times as well as his boys’ excitement for the new Star Tours. He showed genuine interest in our questions and comments and even took a few minutes to ask me about Babes In Disneyland one-on-one.
Tom began his career with the Disney in 1990 as Manager of Strategic Planning and moved through the Disney ranks to his current position in January 2010. I think Staggs’ leadership is definitely the right direction for Disney Parks, as he has a clear passion for Disney and the guest experience. His emphasis on families and reaching out directly to consumers through the blogging universe harkens back to the humble days when Walt would watch Disneyland guests’ reactions as the entered and exited Disneyland from his apartment on Main Street.
For more on Disney and family, please stop by yesterday’s Disney Blog Hop. I will be posting more on my Soundsational Summer experiences next week! Click here to read what I’ve already posted and go to my Youtube Channel to check out a great videos I haven’t had time to tell you about yet! Yesterday, I attended an extraordinary media event at the Disney Animation Studios. I can’t wait to bring you my experience learning about the Disney animation process and review of the new Winnie the Pooh movie. The picture to the right is a sneak peek of me with Jim Cummings, voice of Pooh, Tigger, and many other beloved characters.
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Really enjoyed this story. When he held the same position, I had the opportunity to meet Dick Nunis a few times as a kid, and he always went out of his way to indulge the imagination and questions of a young Disney fan like myself. Glad to hear the culture of the company hasn’t changed so much, and that they’re taking the time to meet with “family media.”
Wow, Lisa! That’s an incredible article! Thanks for your dedication and hard work! It really is paying off and it is fun to read articles like these! You are a wonderful example of what a “Mom Blogger” should be and I’m so honored to know you! Thank you for helping showcase the heart of a company that so many people so dearly love!
A great profile, Lisa! It’s always good to hear about the people who are making the decisions about “our laughing place.”
That is so cool that they made the effort to include non-traditional media, like bloggers!